Wirrapunda / Sampi

[Milenko]

Going through the 2004 starting line-ups as we have done of late, the positions all seem a bit predictable. I would love Woosha to pull a rabbit out of the hat, which may be the spark we need to get out the the bottom 8 rut we're stuck in.

Maybe Sampi to take over in defence from Wirra, with Wirra to move to a Wing/ HFF. Give the kid a challenge rather then letting him drown in the football graveyard - the forward pocket.

Wirra looked superb in defence in the Collingwood win, mopping up in defence and cutting across leading forwards, but towards the end of the year other teams figured him out (who could forget the St Kilda debarcle where Xavier Clarke should have had 7 on him by half time!!).

Obvious comeback here will be the kickouts - Wirra is just about the only option we have (not to mention those glorious spiral torpedos). But i say all the more reason to develop another option (need i mention the Adelaide elim final).

Anyway that was just an example and food for thought.

 

[Mead]

I don't think there's any case for moving Wirra out of defence, and I don't think there's any case for Sampi moving into defence.

Wirrpunda functions as a loose, sweeper type defender. At the moment, the biggest problem we have with him (aside from his inability to stay fit), is that we lack a tight small defender to play opposite him. Wirrpunda is at his best when played on the poorer opportunist type smalls which team's tend to rest in their forward pocket. In those situations, he hurts teams very badly because he tends to be a better judge of the fall of the footy than most, and his deft skills and flawless disposal means that every loose possession he mops up is translated into a dangerous attacking thrust for us. He's very very good in that situation, to the point where teams often end up playing a tagger type player in their own forward line just to negate him, which is an enormous win for us.

His biggest problem is when, through our dearth of other small defenders, he is forced to play on a hard leading forward. When a team is on top and delivering the ball quickly and accurately into their forward line, if Wirra is stuck playing on a small who leads hard at the ball he is exposed, because his acceleration over a few paces isn't too flash. I don't think that's a question of other team's 'figuring him out', he's just a player who is very good in certain situations, and less so in others. If our midfielders are on top and applying pressure, then disposal into the other side's forward line suffers, and Wirra has a field day.
Really though, the number one thing that would improve Wirrpunda would be a small defender who is quick and tight enough to take the hard leading small forwards.
Possibly Chick is the answer there.

As for Sampi, he's hardly drowning in the 'football graveyard' of the forward pocket. He's been playing as a livewire playmaker across the HFF. His incredibly accurate kicking, great vision and attacking instinct make him a cinch for the forward line. He might spend more time in the midfield as he gets fitter, but I hardly see how sending him as far away from the play as possible, (ie, to the back pocket) is going to improve his prospects. Frankly, if there is one place on the field a player can 'drown in a football graveyard' that'd be it.

I suppose I think that predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you're predictably good. Premiership teams tend to be very very settled, because the best football teams are those where the forward, back and midfield units consist of players who have suited up alongside each other for season after season, and have a unique understanding of the way each other play. If you'll cast your mind back to '92, our defensive 6 was very predictable indeed, but its stability was what made it so good. Personally, I think the most important thing for the eagles next year is to put a settled, indeed, a predictable, side out on the park, and let our young players get 22 games of experience playing in their chosen positions alongside each other.

Finally, what is this bottom 8 rut we're stuck in? If you are perhaps referring to our shaky form with about half our ten best players out injured, then the simple answer is that if we start 2004 fit, we'll be okay, if Gardiner and Co go down, we'll need significant improvement from the second stringers to be a top 4 side.

 

[Streaker]

I, for one, am a big fan of versatility.

Last year when Wirrpunda wasn't able to take the kick outs we suffered until Sampi was given a try. Wirrpunda has become pigeonholed as a back pocket sweeper and therefore as a team we become predictable. More often than not Wirrpunda is our go to man when we are running out of defence and we need to have options for when this scenario isn't working. Sampi has the pace, footskills and would add another dimension down back as he is a superb mark.

Playing players in positions they aren't generally used in creates suprise and generally a mismatch which gives an advantage.

Mead you say that " Really though, the number one thing that would improve Wirrpunda would be a small defender who is quick and tight enough to take the hard leading small forwards." and yet you don't see Sampi fitting this role?

You also say this of Sampi "His incredibly accurate kicking, great vision and attacking instinct make him a cinch for the forward line. He might spend more time in the midfield as he gets fitter, but I hardly see how sending him as far away from the play as possible, (ie, to the back pocket) is going to improve his prospects." Sending him to the back pocket would increase the distance he would be able to run giving him the opportunity to improve his prospects for a midfield role.

"I suppose I think that predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you're predictably good." But what happens when it starts going wrong?

Mick Malthouse was a big fan of versatility. He would play blokes like Peter Matera, Chris Lewis and John Worsfold at full forward and occasionly send the likes of Guy McKenna and Fraser Gehrig and Ashley McIntosh forward to create a mismatch. The 92 and 94 sides were anything but predictable.

 

[materamagic]

I am another fan of versatility but from the moment when Mick put Woosha forward in 98, I knew he was out of favour with Mich but was shocked when dropped from the final, just as Suma was the year prior.

I think Wirra is best as a sweeping defender, playing last man, kicking out and at times having a run on the ball.

Sampi is creative on a flank when he has space but has played back in the WAFL and is capable when a match up begs, instead of Banfield playing on danger forward pockets, we could try Samps there

I like Judd and Embley on wings, pushing forward.

Kerr in and under and Fletcher and Cousins running through the middle.

 

[Milenko]

I meant we are in a bottom of the top 8 rut. We can go one of two ways, and lets hope it's up!

 

[Mead]

Originally posted by West Coast Stre
I, for one, am a big fan of versatility.

Last year when Wirrpunda wasn't able to take the kick outs we suffered until Sampi was given a try. Wirrpunda has become pigeonholed as a back pocket sweeper and therefore as a team we become predictable. More often than not Wirrpunda is our go to man when we are running out of defence and we need to have options for when this scenario isn't working. Sampi has the pace, footskills and would add another dimension down back as he is a superb mark.

Playing players in positions they aren't generally used in creates suprise and generally a mismatch which gives an advantage.

Mead you say that " Really though, the number one thing that would improve Wirrpunda would be a small defender who is quick and tight enough to take the hard leading small forwards." and yet you don't see Sampi fitting this role?

You also say this of Sampi "His incredibly accurate kicking, great vision and attacking instinct make him a cinch for the forward line. He might spend more time in the midfield as he gets fitter, but I hardly see how sending him as far away from the play as possible, (ie, to the back pocket) is going to improve his prospects." Sending him to the back pocket would increase the distance he would be able to run giving him the opportunity to improve his prospects for a midfield role.

"I suppose I think that predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing, if you're predictably good." But what happens when it starts going wrong?

Mick Malthouse was a big fan of versatility. He would play blokes like Peter Matera, Chris Lewis and John Worsfold at full forward and occasionly send the likes of Guy McKenna and Fraser Gehrig and Ashley McIntosh forward to create a mismatch. The 92 and 94 sides were anything but predictable.

There's nothing wrong with versatility up to a point, but the basic rule of playing people in the positions where they are most talented shouldn't be ignored. Sending Cousins to contest the knocks and playing Michael Gardiner as rover would create enormous mismatches and huge surprise, but that doesn't automatically make it a move Worsfold should consider, yes?

On Sampi in the backline, here are the problems I see with it. Item one, he can't handle kick ins. His kicking is extremely accurate, but 50m is his absolute limit on the run, whereas Wirra can not only load up for the huge torps, he can stab pass 50-55m with ease. Personally I think the only other player I can see handling our kickins is maybe Lynch if he ever gets a permanent backline role. So, instead, the only possibility is to use him as the tight defender in the opposite pocket to Wirrpunda as you suggest.

Now aside from that not doing anything for Sampi's fitness, I think the biggest problem with that is it loads our defensive line with players with attacking flair too the detriment of our forward line. Worsfold's basic gameplan is an attacking, take chances, and push forward philosophy, so I fail to see how taking our most dynamic young forward as far from the play as is possible is going to help that. I suppose what I'm getting at is that Sampi has certain attributes that make him uniquely suited to playing forward. On top of everything else, he has an instinct for setting up goals which is pretty incredible, and extremely valuable to the side. I'd love to see a stat for how many goal assists Sampi had this year. We have other players who can be used down back (Chick, given how strongly he tackles, would certainly be worth trying there) but I think at this stage in his career, Sampi is bloody good where he is.

For what its worth, Judd's raw acceleration, great decision making and deft kicking suggest he could be a pretty handy back pocket, but I'm not hearing anyone suggesting that. I suppose I think what both he and Sampi have in common is that attacking, killer instinct, which is best utilised where they can hurt the other team on the scoreboard.

 

[Sera]

Sampi himself says defence may be his best position. Give it a burl in the preseason and see how it goes. We need to be less predictable. Wirra is a great forward as well, he just doesn't get to play there very much.

 

[Au_Blue#24]

Originally posted by Mead

For what its worth, Judd's raw acceleration, great decision making and deft kicking suggest he could be a pretty handy back pocket, but I'm not hearing anyone suggesting that.

I thought of this prospect just the other day. Judd on the HB line bursting thru the guts.

Pro's: He wont be tagged

Cons: We lose abit of fire power up front - but we have plenty in the way of scoring midfileders.

Judd and Wirra in defence - could be a bit over kill be it also could potentially be a great move.

 

[vicki]

Tagged?

I can remember when Peter Matera was playing at HBF and opposition coaches played taggers on him - I would imagine the same would apply to Juddy.